Method and installation of power generation by ocean wave

ABSTRACT

The present invention concerns the method and installation to apply ocean energy to power generation. It is consisted of the floater, lever, chain, ratchet wheel, flywheel, generator, cable, etc. It is characterized by the fact that the float and weight fixed to it move up and down with the motion of wave, which drive the strength enlargement mechanism made up of a number of levers to travel alternately and pull the heavy flywheel to rotate constantly. By this way, the generator runs and yields electricity. The present invention has simple structure and high efficiency and can easily increase or decrease the enlargement mechanism according to the capacity of generation. This installation with low cost can be widely utilized for pollution-free power generation in the coast.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an installation of applying ocean wave to power generation, more particularly to a power transmitting installation utilizing the principle of levers to convert the power of ocean wave into mechanical power, and then convert the mechanical power into electricity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Since realizing the application of electricity, various methods have been used to generate electricity, the traditional way of generating electricity through burning mineral fuels brings increasingly serious pollution problems to the modern society; while the nuclear power plants hide non-neglectable danger of nuclear pollution. Thus, generating electricity by wind power and wave power is suggested.

[0003] Chinese Patent document CN1090910A has disclosed a ocean wave power generating means, which utilizes the up and down motion of wave and the floating of sea water to drive a floater up to have potential energy. When the floater falls down showing a free-fall condition, the generator will be activated and yield electricity through a sector-shaped gear, a ratchet wheel and an accelerating gear train.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,868 (SLONIM) has disclosed another method of generating energy by ocean wave. It utilizes the up and down floating motion of a floater to drive a water wheel bucket hanging on said floater to rotate undersea. The power of said rotation is then used to activate the generator to yield electricity.

[0005] German Patent DE4143011 (GLEICH) has also disclosed a device for converting ocean wave energy. The design of said device is mainly on a main body floating on sea, several outward extending arms fixed on balls which follows the ocean waves to move up and down. The extending arm has a compressing rod driven by a connecting rod to move up and down. A middle section of said compressing rod has a one-way rotating shaft driven by a rack gear, while the umbrella-shaped gear wheel at the other end of said one-way rotating shaft drives a generator rotor of the main body to spindle rotate so as to generate electricity. The generated electricity is then transferred to the shore via cables.

[0006] The defects on the above solutions are the structure of the generation 2 devices being too complex and efficiency in electromechanical energy conversion being low. It means the cost in utilizing such method and device in ocean energy power generation is too high.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a simple, efficient and low-cost method of power generation by ocean wave eliminating said defects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The method of the present invention is mainly of simple theory, easy maintenance, low investment cost, and capacity of output can be increased according to the design.

[0009] The principle of the present invention is to convert wave power into mechanical power to drive a main shaft and a flywheel. The flywheel activates a generator to yield electricity.

[0010] The concept of the present invention is that: a floater is floating up and down on the sea surface along with the wave while a weight is attached to the end of a lever and fixed on said float. The other end of said lever fits through a central shaft as a swinging pivot of the lever. A chain is attached to a certain length (about 0.3L) away from said pivot on the lever. Said chain goes around a ratchet wheel on the main shaft and connects to a spring. Through such structure, when the floater moves upwards, the weight and the lever will both be pushed upwards, the chain around the ratchet wheel will be pulled downward. Meanwhile, the ratchet wheel will turn clockwise, i.e. the main shaft and flywheel do not move. When the wave goes down, the floater will moves down at the same time, so do the weight and the lever together with the chain. Meanwhile, the falling force of the weight on the chain will pull the ratchet wheel, the main shaft and the flywheel and so on to rotate by the enlargement effect of levers. When the rotation of flywheel drives the generator to run, the electricity generated will be transferred to the customers via cables.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] Further description is given on the embodiments of the present invention accompanying with the following figures.

[0012]FIG. 1 is a principle view of the ocean-wave power generation means in the present invention.

[0013]FIG. 2 shows the analysis of force acting by the single lever force of the ocean-wave power generation means in the present invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1:

[0015] Dams can be built on the shore, and an ocean wave power plant can be built thereon. Or else, mooring stall can be built on the sea surface in shore, and the power generating installation can be built thereon. Accordingly, ocean wave power plant can be built either along the shore or off shore so as to largely and expediently make use of the ocean wave.

[0016] The theory of said power plant is as shown in the figures. A Floater 15 floats up and down in the sea along with the waves. A weight 14 is attached to the end of a lever 12 and also fixed to the surface of the floater 15. The other end of the lever 12 fit through a central shaft 11 as a swinging pivot of the lever 12 moving up and down. The Central shaft 11 is fixed on central shaft brackets 10. A chain 9 is attached to the lever 12 about 0.3 times of the lever length away from the lever pivot. The chain 9 goes around a ratchet wheel 3 of a main shaft 1 and the other end of the chain connects to the lever 12 by a spring 8. When the floater 15 is pushed upwards by the wave, the weight 14 and the lever 12 will also be pushed upwards by the floater 15. The chain 9 around the ratchet wheel 3 will be pulled down by the spring 8. Meanwhile as the ratchet wheel 3 moves clockwise, the main shaft 1 and the flywheel 4 will not rotate. When the wave goes down, the floater 15 will also moves down. Meanwhile, the weight 14 and the lever 12 will also move down. The chain 9 is pulled down by falling force of the weight 14 and the lever 12 to drive the ratchet wheel 3, the main shaft 1 and the flywheel 4 to rotate. The main shaft 1 is fixed on main shaft brackets 2 and is installed with a flywheel 4, which engages with a rotor of a generator 6. Therefore, when the ratchet wheel 3 rotates counter-clockwise, it also drives the main shaft 1, the flywheel 4 and the generator 6 to rotate at the same time. Thus, the generator runs and yields electricity, which is then transferred to the customers via cables 5.

[0017] The flywheel 4 is a large component part for storing energy. It can be designed as driven by a plurality of levers 12, such as 10 or 20 levers, travelling alternatively to pull the flywheel 4 so as to ensure the flywheel 4 continuously rotate and continuously drive the generator 6 to run and yield electricity.

[0018] The floater 15 can be designed as made up of various kinds of materials, such as metals, plastics or fibre glass etc. It can also be any shape as long as it can carry the weight of the weight 14 and the lever 12 with ⅓ or ¼ of its volume floating above sea level.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2:

[0020] According to experimental result, it is found that when the weight 14 and the lever 12 go up and down along with the floater 15, the pulling weight of weight 14 is only about 20% of its original pulling weight. However, it can be increased to about 60% of its original pulling weight through the effect of the length proportion of the lever in the aforesaid embodiment.

[0021] Suppose the weight of the weight is 10 tons, the floater 15 being pushed up and down by wave in 12 times per minute, the chain 9 will receive 10×60%×12=72 (tons) of pulling force per minute to rotate the flywheel 4. 72 tons is only the pulling force generated by one lever in one minute. If each flywheel is designed as being pulled by 10 levers, then the flywheel 4 will receive 720 tons (10×72 tons) of pulling force per minute. This is a very considerable power. 

1. A method of power generation by ocean wave, comprising: at least one strength enlargement mechanism which is composed of a floater, a weight, a lever, a chain and a pivot central shaft; a main shaft; a ratchet wheel and a flywheel connected to the main shaft; and a generator driven by the flywheel; characterized in that said floater (15) and the weight (14) thereon being connected to one end of the lever (12), the other end of the lever (12) being hinged to the pivot central shaft (11), one end of the chain (9) being connected to a spring (8) and fixed to the lever (12), the flywheel (4) on the main shaft (1) being engaged with a rotor of the generator (6).
 2. An installation of power generation by ocean wave, comprising: at least one strength enlargement mechanism which is composed of a floater, a weight, a lever, a chain and a pivot central shaft; a main shaft; a ratchet wheel and a flywheel connected to the main shaft; and a generator driven by the flywheel; characterized in that said floater (15) and the weight (14) thereon being connected to one end of the lever (12), the other end of the lever (12) being hinged to the pivot central shaft (11), one end of the chain (9) being connected to a spring (8) and fixed to the lever (12), the flywheel (4) on the main shaft (1) being engaged with a rotor of the generator (6).
 3. An installation of power generation by ocean wave as in claim 2, characterized in that the pivot central shaft (11) is common to each strength enlargement mechanism. 